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Detection of microplastics in commercial bottled mineral water
No full textMicroplastic ranging in size from 1 μm to 5 mm are contaminants in bottled mineral
water, raised significant health concerns. This study aims to detect the presence of
microplastics in commercially bottled mineral water. A total of 18 local bottled
mineral water were used as sample in this study. Six samples were analysed using
temperature test, in which the three samples were exposed to room temperature (25°C
± 2°C) and another three were exposed to peak temperature (60°C ± 2°C). Another 12
samples were undergoing shaking test. In shaking test, the samples were exposed to
two different temperatures (room and peak temperature) and speeds (30 and 60 RPM).
Each three samples were exposed to room temperature at 30 RPM, peak temperature
at 30 RPM, room temperature 60 RPM, and peak temperature at 60 RPM. After
temperature and shaking test were completed, the samples underwent reusability test
where they underwent their respective tests for three repeated uses. To observe the
presence of microplastic particles, the samples were filtered through nylon-66
membrane filter 0.45-micron pore size. The microplastics were observed under a
stereomicroscope to determine the quantity, shape, and colour of microplastic
particles. The results highlighted that samples that were exposed to high thermal stress
(60°C ± 2°C) and mechanical stress (30 and 60 RPM) leached more microplastics. In
terms of the microplastic shape, fragment, fibre, filament, and film were presented in
the samples and predominantly by fragment microplastics. The colour of microplastics
detected in the samples were transparent, green, and dark grey with transparent colour
predominantly. Repeated use of bottles did not lead to an increase in microplastic leaching. Instead, the number of microplastic particles detected varied inconsistently
in each bottle. To conclude, this study may raise awareness among consumers to take
necessary precautions to minimise the potential microplastics contamination in their
bottled mineral water
Effects of stingless bee (heterotrigona itama) honey on pathogenesis of depression in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model
No full textIn this study, the antidepressant effect of stingless bee honey (SBH) on chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) in male Sprague Dawley rats and its mechanism of action were investigated. Rats were exposed to CUMS for 28 consecutive days by seven different stressors to induce depression. The stressor was triggered randomly to avoid habituation effects on the stressor. This study included five different groups; sham, DDH2O (1 ml/kg sterile double distilled water), PRX (10 mg/kg paroxetine), SBH D15 (SBH 2000 mg/kg), and SBH D1 (SBH 2000 mg/kg). Each of the groups comprised six individuals (n=6). DDH2O, PRX and SBH D15 were administered with their respective treatment once daily starting from day 15 to day 28, while SBH D1 was administered SBH from the first day to day 28 CUMS induction. At the end of the CUMS induction protocol, rats were subjected to a sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swimming test (FST), and Morris water maze (MWM), followed by biochemical examination (serum) and histopathological analysis (hippocampus brain). All CUMS induced groups successfully induced depressive like behaviour by showing a decrease in food intake, body weight gain, percentage of sucrose preference in SPT, increased immobility in the FST, shorter latency finding platform (MWM), and higher retention time spent in the target quadrant (MWM) when compared to the sham group. The positive control group (PRX) and both SBH groups (SBH D15 and SBH D1) were shown to attenuate depressive like behaviour in comparison to the untreated group CUMS (DDH2O). The CUMS induced groups were also found to have higher dopamine (DA) levels, lower serotonin (5HT) and lower GABA levels compared to the sham group. PRX and both SBH groups (SBH D15 and SBH D1) showed positive progression in all analyzed neurotransmitters in the current study, compared to the DDH2O group. In addition, serum was analysed for eight different interleukin cytokines and inflammatory markers (IL 4, IL 5, IL 10, IL 13, IL 6, IL 2, IL 1β, and TNF α). DDH2O showed high levels of all markers compared to the other groups. PRX and both SBH groups (SBH D15 and SBH D1) showed attenuation of inflammation. Brain tissues in the hippocampus regions (Cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), Cornu ammonis 3 (CA3) and Dentate Gyrus (DG)) for analysis of the optical density of IHC expression of BDNF, DDH2O group showed the lowest optical density expression of BDNF compared to other groups. Meanwhile, PRX and both SBH groups (SBH D15 and SBH D1) showed a positive elevation of the optical density of BDNF expression. In conclusion, both SBH groups showed an improvement in ameliorating the pathogenesis of depression after being induced with depression via CUMS paradigms for 28 days, compared to the DDH2O group. All results indicated that SBH provides synergistic effects to elevate the monoamine parameters as well as suppress the inflammatory cytokines that eventually improve the behaviour output of depressed rats
Performance analysis of yolo and ssd-based deep learning models for detection of oil palm trees in drone images
Full text linkThis study explores the use of advanced deep learning models for detecting and counting oil palm plants in precision agriculture using drone-based high-resolution images. The motivation stems from the limitations of manual monitoring methods, which are time-consuming, error-prone, and not feasible for large-scale plantations. Given Malaysia’s significant role in global palm oil production, efficient and automated detection systems are essential to support sustainable plantation management. The primary challenge is to accurately identifying oil palm trees in complex conditions, such as overlapping canopies, dense vegetation, varying lighting, and similar surrounding plants. These factors limit traditional image processing techniques, prompting the use of robust deep learning frameworks. This study evaluates four state-of-the-art object detection models: YOLOv5x, YOLOv7, YOLOv8, and SSDv2FPN, selected for their real-time detection capabilities and accuracy in agricultural environments. Two datasets were used: a smaller set of 10 drone images containing 79 annotated palm trees, and a larger dataset of 482 images with 5,233 trees. Evaluation metrics included True Positives, False Positives, False Negatives, Precision, Recall, F1-Score, and Detection Time. SSDv2FPN achieved perfect precision at 100% with an F1-Score of 89.49%, but required 83 seconds per image, which limits its suitability for real-time applications. In contrast, YOLOv5x, YOLOv7x, and YOLOv8x detected palm trees in relatively lower execution time of 16, 12, and 14 seconds respectively, with YOLOv5x achieving an F1-Score of 97.36%. These results demonstrate the clear advantage of YOLO models with regard to high speed execution. On the larger dataset, YOLOv8 models outperformed other frameworks, thereby achieving F1-Scores between 97.36% and 99.31%, precision values ranging from 99.27% to 99.70%, and recall rates between 95.89% and 99.36%. Among the YOLOv8 variants, YOLOv8s and YOLOv8n demonstrated the fastest detection times of 28 and 33 seconds, respectively, effectively balancing rapid inference and detection performance. This makes them ideal for deployment in practical agricultural monitoring systems
Allelic variations in the edar gene and their influence on hair types in Malaysian populations
No full textEctodysplasin A Receptor (EDAR) is a tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) that is involved in the development of ectodermal tissues, including hair follicles. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3827760, which encodes EDAR:p.(Val370Ala), is a missense mutation in the EDAR gene that pleiotropically influences phenotypic traits such as hair type, particularly in East Asian populations. However, the genotype distribution and correlation of this SNP with hair type among Malaysian ethnic groups remain largely unexplored. Thus, this study aimed to determine the allelic variation of SNP rs3827760 in the Malaysian population among the Malay, Chinese, and Indian ethnic groups. DNA samples (buccal swabs) were collected from 30 participants, with 10 individuals from each ethnic group, and extracted using a silica-based solid-phase extraction (SPE) method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the custom EDAR primers, followed by agarose gel electrophoresis, DNA quantification, cycle sequencing, and ethanol precipitation (purification). Sanger sequencing was conducted using the SeqStudio™ Genetic Analyzer, and the chromatograms were analyzed with Chromas and Jalview software to identify nucleotide variations at the SNP loci rs3827760, rs146567337, and rs12623957. A chi-square test was performed to determine the statistical significance of the association between the SNPs and ethnicity or hair type. The analysis showed that SNP rs3827760 was significantly correlated with both ethnicity (P-value <0.001) and hair type (P-value = 0.011). The ancestral allele (allele A) was strongly associated with Indian (curly hair) individuals, while the derived allele (allele G) was strongly associated with Chinese (straight hair) individuals. Malay individuals with straight or wavy hair exhibited a mix of all three genotypes. SNP rs146567337 showed no significant association with ethnicity (P-value = 0.155) or hair type (P-value = 0.432). SNP rs12623957 was not significantly related to ethnicity (P-value = 0.058) but was correlated with hair type (P-value = 0.017). Therefore, SNP rs3827760 in the EDAR gene was the most strongly correlated genetic factor for hair types and ethnicity in this stud
Application of eggshells and seashells for latent fingermark development
No full textFingerprint identification remains an essential aspect in the field of forensic science, being a reliable tool for identifying suspects and reconstructing criminal events. The current research explores the possibility of producing fingerprint powders from eggshells (ES) and seashells (SS), two widely available biowaste products that are mainly made up of calcium carbonate. The characterisation of ES and SS powders using FTIR, SEM, and EDX methods demonstrated that both the magnetic and non-magnetic types are efficient green alternatives for the development of latent fingermarks. The magnetic type is especially suitable for application on sensitive or valuable surfaces. A Friedman test revealed considerable differences in the development of latent fingermarks among the various powders, with a p-value noted at less than 0.001. Magnetic eggshell powder (MES) proves to be the best natural alternative for use on non-porous surfaces, exhibiting a durability profile that allows for multiple recovery attempts. Magnetic seashell powder (MSS) exhibited the most consistent detail in microscopic ridge patterns, showing great potential as an eco-friendly substitute for commercially magnetic powders in the development of latent fingermarks rich in amino acids, cholesterol, and squalene on non-porous surfaces. Non-magnetic ES and SS powders performed well in the case of DL-serine-based deposits. MES and MSS powders showed great promise as environmentally friendly alternatives to palmitic acid-based fingerprints. In addition, both magnetic and non-magnetic variants exhibited the most pronounced ridge definition for lactic acid-rich fingerprints, indicating their great potential for the development of hydrophilic residues. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed that the type of powder did not significantly affect fingermark scores for either heat ageing (p = 0.998) or submersion ageing (p = 0.903). This means that fingermark development was similar across all powder types in both conditions. In contrast, fingermark scores varied significantly among the ten surface types examined (p < 0.001 for both ageing studies). Natural powders derived from ES and SS, especially their magnetic forms, had shown competitive, and often better, performance than commercial powder under water exposure. On the other hand, their non-magnetic powder had proven to be remarkably resilient under different conditions, especially when subjected to high heat. In summary, this research offers valuable information on the forensic process relating to natural resource powders, moving the field towards a green and safe method for latent fingermark visualisatio
PPKBSM, Pusat Pengajian Kejuruteraan Bahan dan Sumber Mineral (2025) EBP103-3 - POLYMER ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - SEPTEMBER 2025.
No full textPPKBSM, Pusat Pengajian Kejuruteraan Bahan dan Sumber Mineral (2025) EBP308 Rubber : Processing And Products SEM 1 SA 2024.2025.
No full textPPKBSM, Pusat Pengajian Kejuruteraan Bahan dan Sumber Mineral (1997) EBB220-3 - POLIMER KEJURUTERAAN - SEPT 1997.
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